Dreen PendiDreen Pendi, PhD. is the hero of the Gingezel science fiction series. He is a computer scientist, hacker, and head of Nemizcan Computing.

Dreen was born and raised on Tranus, and the head office for Nemizcan Computing is there, but it is a major company on most planets.

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Dreen is a man with a hacking secret:“And now, I think we get to the NDA part of things. Mrs. Loban, would you re-ask that question about Pendi Industries. And Dreen, I really don’t think this woman can help us without your co-operation.”

Dreen nodded without enthusiasm. He hoped Nevin’s lawyers knew what they were doing writing that NDA, or Nevin wasn’t doing him any favors at all.

“As I said,” Nevin answered, “Dreen is Oren’s son, but that’s the end of the connection. They more or less haven’t spoken to each other for about five years now, ever since the Dreen got a little too creative on the computing side.”

There was a silence.

“That was your cue Dreen, or do want me to tell what I know?”

“No.” Dreen sighed. “I suppose it isn’t really all that complicated a story after all. I was just starting my Ph.D. program, and I was doing some hacking ...

The trace had been deflected. That took some doing. It also meant the trace was expected. Dreen found interest overriding his anger. “And the calling card?”

“So far it’s just been telling us that whoever needs a vacation on Gingezel. The intervals are random. We haven’t touched it.”

Dreen nodded. Trying to access or disable calling cards before they were contained could lead to activation of destructive, or at least nuisance, code. He’d left a few himself.

“And Brys? What did she think?”

“She’s asleep sir.”

“Well, get her up and pour enough coffee into her to have her more or less awake by the time I get there. I’ll head to the airport now and charter a jet.”

His other hacker, Brys, had higher odds of finding the solution than Evrit. For a good-natured, wholesome-looking creature she had a remarkably devious and totally amoral mind. She knew most of the dirty tricks in Dreen’s book and had added a few of her own creation to Dreen’s repertoire. He suspected she also knew, and for that matter had created, quite a few she hadn’t told him about. Dreen found himself wishing the hacker had succeeded on Brys’s shift, not Evrit’s. It would be so much easier to be talking to Brys. She would understand.

He shifted slightly to attack, assuming Chett’s assessment was correct that Rostin’s nose was badly out of joint with the Judiciary and its troops arriving and throwing their weight around. “I’m afraid I assumed your position was comparable to mine in industry, that you have full authority. I’d thought that getting permission was at most ten minutes in your office, explaining myself.” Dreen let his eyes slide to Trebur Auta. “If you yourself need permission ...” he let that one tail off.